Pita
by Ebony10
Summary: A short oneshot about the birthday present Jane got Lisbon. Spoiler.


Just a quick little oneshot inspired by Jane's birthday present to Lisbon. Spoiler for that so if you don't want to know, don't read. I wrote it and uploaded on a whim so if you see problems, feel free to let me know! : )

Don't own anything of The Mentalist, sadly.

Pita

*************************************************************************

The day after her birthday, Lisbon breezed into the office merely on time, which was strange for her. Usually she was early—no one was quite sure how early. She always beat them there. Cho suspected that Jane knew how early she came in, but as none of the rest of the team felt comfortable (safe) talking about Lisbon's habits it had never come up in conversation.

So it was weird that she was on time and not early. She smiled at the team, waved her fingers a bit, and glided into her office without a word. Which was fine with the team. Well, _Jane_ wasn't fine with it. He hated when she came in without a word—it didn't allow him to banter with her or tease her.

Not a good way for him to start the day. He suspected she knew that. Was this payback for leaving a live pony in her office? The papers it nibbled on weren't even that important...

And Jane knew she had liked it. Related back to her childhood, he thought. Once her mother was gone, she probably hadn't received the normal girly birthday gifts. After all, what father or brother could truly relate to a girl who had hit the age of nine. Jane smirked from his position on the couch. Except for him, of course.

And what girl, _woman_, had gone through life without asking at least once for pony? Even if it was a silent wish that they held inside.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, bored. He sat up suddenly, causing the team to jump a bit and look to him questioningly. He ignored them and headed for Lisbon's office. He knocked once and went in without waiting for a response. With a little hop for flair, he sat in the chair in front of her desk. She didn't even look up.

"What do you need, Jane?"

"Why were you late?"

She looked up, leaning back in her chair. "I believe I was here at 8:57. The official work day starts at 9:00 unless we have a case."

"You have a point," Jane conceded. "_But_ as you are always here at least two hours before that, you are, by your own standards, late."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You're right. You're always right. There. Feel better?"

He laughed a bit at her sarcasm, loving the way she always pulled it off with him. "You never answered my question."

"I was late, Jane, because _someone_ gave me a pony for my birthday and I had to work out what to do with her," she responded pointedly. He laughed.

"So what did you do with her?"

She glared at him for a moment. "I found a lovely couple willing to board her in the countryside about forty-five minutes away. Do you know how expensive it is to rent a trailer to move a pony?"

He shrugged.

"Or how much it will be to board her?"

He smiled weakly. "The gift that keeps on giving?"

She glowered for a moment more before laughing. "Thanks though, Jane. It was sweet in your own way. Actually, the couple has children and they run a working farm that does events where they'll use her."

"So you gave her to someone who would use her to make children happy. Unsurprising," he commented. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes it was so irritating to have someone who thought they knew you better than you knew yourself. She refused to believe that he really did.

"I named her after you, actually," Lisbon offered. Jane raised his brows in surprise.

"Oh really? You named her Jane?"

Before she could answer, there was a knock on her door. "C'mon in."

Rigsby stuck his head in, looking cautiously between the two before speaking. "Hey, boss. Minelli would like a run down of the last case."

She nodded. "Thank you, Rigsby."

As soon as Rigsby left, Lisbon stood and headed to the door. "Don't play around in my office, Jane."

Stepping through the threshold, she paused and looked back at him. "By the way, I didn't name her Jane. I named her Pita."

"Pita?" His forehead furrowed in confusion.

The smile on Lisbon's face was beautiful. "Yes. It stands for Pain In The Ass."

And with that she was gone, leaving a bewildered yet amused Jane.

Lisbon couldn't hold back the grin as she made for her boss's office. A strategic getaway after a wonderful verbal dart that hit the mark. Today was going to be a good day.


End file.
